Fame || LRH

Chapter Fourty

"You know what? I really don't care anymore. I don't give a fuck about my reputation, I don't care about what other people think of me!" I yelled

"Don't say that! Don't you dare say that, I didn't work this hard for you to throw everything down the toilet!" She almost screamed until we were interrupted by a knock on the door

"Uh we need Josie out in ten for taping," a voice called out from behind the wooden frame

"I'll be out in a minute!" I replied

Looking back at Kate I saw the desperation in her face. Even through all the bullshit, in the back of my mind I kept maintaining the fact that she was a person under all of this. She might be fucking psychotic but this is her job, this is her income, how she lives her life. If I fuck up my rep, it all gets blamed on her and that's going to fuck up her life. I wish I didn't think like this, I wish I could care less about how my actions would impact others, but I can't, I really fucking can't.

"Well- what does he want with me?" I questioned calming my voice as she let out a sigh of relief at my compliance

"One public date. He wants fame by association and he says that if you don't agree, then he'll release the photo and confirm that you slept with him,"

"But I didn't sleep with him,"

"The pictures say otherwise, Josie," she bit back

"When does he want the date?" I groaned

"Tomorrow, 6 pm,"

"What? I'm supposed to get my flight out tomorrow, even you know that, Kate," With the weather conditions, I knew it wasn't going to be long until all the airports even remotely near Baltimore would be closed, but Alex's wedding was in just a few days and I promised him I would be there. If I wasn't on a plane by tomorrow, I might miss the whole thing completely because I would never be able to make it in time.

"I didn't set up the date, he did." She claimed

"Okay... Tell him- fuck- tell him I'll be there,"

Luke's P.O.V.

"Regular tie or bow tie?" I questioned Julia as I held the two different items in either hand

The guys and I were at a tux shop to buy a suit for the wedding, but I guess you could say that our timing was a little off since we were getting one two days before the actual wedding. Julia, on the other hand, was more than prepared with her dress already in her possession weeks before the set date. Right now we were in Baltimore and Alex recommended us to go to the shop where he got his suit at so here we are.

"Eh regular one," Julia said taking the specific tie from my hand to place it around my neck. At that same time, Cal, Michael, and Ashton stepped out of their dressing rooms in their preferred suits to look in the mirror next to us.

"Get a room," Calum groaned nudging me in the back closer to Julia as she let out a small laugh

"Shut up," she shook her head placing her hands on my chest to smooth out the wrinkles on the button up I was wearing. What Julia and I had was- weird. We weren't together, but we sure as hell acted like it. She wasn't mine, but I was okay with that. There was something strangely relieving about not completely giving myself to someone like I used to do in the past. I didn't allow myself to depend on her for everything, I didn't want to fall in head first again. I didn't let my guard down and trust me, that is a first. I love Julia, but I'm still not sure whether I'm in love. But the way I'm looking at her now is making me question that. Sure the first time we met, I was completely attached to her. I won't lie to myself, I was clingy, but she still stayed. I turned into a complete asshole, but she still stayed. And now I'm back to myself and she's still by my side. Through it all, she's been here, and I'm not willing to compromise that so I want to keep whatever this thing we have alive. I want to see where it goes, where we go.

Julia's P.O.V.

Seeing Ashton's face once he stepped out of the dressing room was unsettling because he didn't look so happy about seeing me with Luke, that was practically the same expression he's had for weeks now whenever I got too close for comfort with Luke. But when I was with Luke, there was no boundary, I could basically be straddling him and we'd still feel completely comfortable about it. But with Ashton, there was always tension. Whenever I was left alone with him, we could never talk to each other like we used to. Conversation never flew freely anymore, we always felt so constrained now, but I don't know why.

"Jules, do you mind helping me with the bow tie?" Ashton asked me to the side as Luke, Cal, and Mike were having their own talk

"Sure," I answered as he placed the fabric onto his collar and I began my task

"So what's been going on with you and Luke lately?" He asked hesitantly

"Luke and I? Just the same old same old," I shrugged

"You two seem to be getting a lot cozier than usual if you ask me," he mentioned

"Well I didn't ask you, now did I?" I snapped at him

He always had this accusing tone of voice with him when he spoke to me about Luke and it always ticked me for some reason. I don't even know why he wanted to get involved with what I do with Luke because he knows that I'd still never take it to the next level with Luke, not under these circumstances.

"Geez..." He breathed

"I- sorry, Ash," I stuttered

"I just don't understand why you feel the need to know about all of this," I explained

"Well I am the one paying you for your services," he said making me stop what I was doing to look at him in disbelief

"My services? So what am I? A fucking prostitute? From what I remember, this whole thing was a favor for you, my best friend," I spat keeping my voice low to keep the attention away from us

"Well you might as well be at the rate you're going at with him," he fired back completely regretting his words once he saw the disgusted look on my face

"Go fuck yourself, Ashton,"

Josie's P.O.V.

The interview went as smoothly as it could've possibly been, Kate tried to ease my tension by getting James to ask me someone questions more focused on the album rather than my personal life, but I couldn't keep my nerves down because of what was happening. As the interview went on, I was constantly thinking about how the next day was going to happen with the date with Andy who happened to be completely out of his mind for blackmailing me and the flight. The second I leave town I'm finally free for a little while and I needed that time so desperately. I thought that my life was getting pieced back together with the album coming out, new music, future tours, but now it's starting to crumble beneath me again.

"Don't forget about the date tonight," Kate messaged me forcing me to wake up in the morning

"I won't." I grumbled my way out of bed and grabbed my computer trying to book a flight for tonight in order to make it to the wedding tomorrow, but of course, of fucking course, the flights for Baltimore would be closed tonight for storm warnings. The flight I had to book was going to be landing two hours away from the actual wedding venue and if I calculated correctly, I'd be able to make it to the wedding just in the knick of time if I sped up the make up process and put my dress on in the car on the way to the actual chapel from the airport, but I had to make do with what I had so I took it.

Lily was more than furious with me when I told her because she knew that I was late to almost everything important in my life, and she knew that Alex would not be happy with me if I walked into his wedding in the middle of something special like him reciting his wedding vows, but there was nothing else I could do about the situation.